Guangzhou Review

Discover Guangzhou and its neighbourhood and realise that it has more to offer than industrial capacity.

Guangzhou is not just a large and modern industrial city. It also has an older, softer side. We visit sites that let us see something of a much older importance as well as a day excursion to Kaiping for a look at the weird and wonderful Diaolou.

N.B. This module can add to your journey in China. It is designed to fit with our journeys starting and ending in Guangzhou but can be booked as a standalone journey if you prefer.

Features
Maximum Group Size: we strongly believe that the coherence of the group is important, especially at mealtimes. We therefore limit the number of travellers to 10. This allows the group, with their guide, to sit comfortably at one table in most Chinese establishments.

Standards: You can click on any service title below to read a description of the standards that apply. This link takes you to the relevant page.
Accommodation
4-Star Hotel - 2 nights
Meals
Breakfasts - 2
Lunches - 3
Dinners - 2
Extra Services
Extra Accommodation: you may want to book extra nights before or after the tour. We will do our best to book you at the same hotel, usually in the same room, as on your chosen journey.

You will be given an opportunity to purchase extra nights once you reach the Shopping Cart.
Connecting Flights: we can arrange domestic flights within China to get you to or from your international portal.

We have listed a number of standard routes in the price list as an indication. If you do not see the route you want, or any other service, please just email and ask.

Follow this link to see more details about the Extra Services that we offer.

Prices for Extra Services relevant to this itinerary are shown on the Extras and Extensions tab.
Inclusions
Journey Leader: Your group will be lead by a suitably qualified guide. This person is our representative and has responsibility for delivering the travel services according to your itinerary. They will also act as your guide at sites.
Food & drink: we include many meals throughout the journey, especially breakfasts at hotels and when the group are travelling together.

A soft drink is included with each lunch or dinner and tea/coffee and juice for breakfasts.

We do leave some meals free for you to go off on your own and explore. You can see which meals are included on the day-by-day itinerary.
Entrance Fees: We include the cost of entrance fees to all sites listed in your itinerary. You should allow some money for other sites that you may wish to visit on your own. Not all sites have an entrance fee.
Gratuities: We have included gratuities for service providers encountered on a normal journey, and for expected levels of service.
Exclusions
We do not sell flights to China. Your package includes only services in China. Flights from China can be purchased as an Extra Service.
We do not include a departure transfer as this is more easily arranged during the last few days of your visit.
Where we include a domestic flight in China you are responsible for any additional charges imposed by the airline including those relating to baggage in excess of the standard allowance (normally 20 kilograms).
You are responsible for obtaining the correct visa for your journey and for all costs associated with that visa application.
There are many other sites that you could visit during your journey. We cover the cost of those sites included in the itinerary. You are responsible for all other entrance fees.
You are responsible for the cost of all drinks other than those provided with included meals.
Your Journey Leader is not included in the standard gratuities. We expect you will thoroughly appreciate their services throughout your journey and will tip accordingly.

We hope to have achieved the right balance between organised activities and free time.

Your Guide will offer suggestions for the free time. You may do as many of these as you like, or something completely different.

Please note: You can click on any photo to toggle between sizes

1 - Piety Lasts Longer

This journey begins in Guangzhou. If you need advice or assistance getting to Guangzhou then please Contact Us

We focus on the ancient sites today which all tend to be religious in nature. Secular sites, it seems, just can't survive the ages.

Our first visit is to one of the oldest - the Bright Filial Piety Temple. The temple achieved elevated status when one of its monks, Hui Neng, became Master of Chan (Zen) Buddhism back in the 7th century. His 'Ancestor Hall', the Mahavira Hall and the two iron towers are wonderful examples of devotional architecture.

The Six Banyan Tower gives its name to our next temple stop. This tower was built to house Buddhist relics and is well worth climbing for views down and out.

In the afternoon we will visit the Canton Tower the world's tallest TV tower. We have included the most expensive ticket that permits access to the highest observation deck on the 84th floor and the separate ticket for the Skywalk. You may want to stay around until after dark.

Meals:

Lunch, Dinner

Sightseeing:

Approximate driving time,

3.0 hours

Accommodation:

4-Star Hotel

2 - Multi-storey Fortresses

Kaiping City is the centre of a strange phenomenon - Diaolou.

Diaolou are unique. They are tall, defensive structures though often delightfully decorative. The resulting towers are attractive yet functional - where function means not just living but keeping oneself and one's property safe from the unfriendly neighbours.

We spend the day driving around various towns in the area to take a look at these strange structures and to hear more about their history.

Meals:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Sightseeing:

Approximate driving time,

5.5 hours

Accommodation:

4-Star Hotel

3 - Dead and Buried - but not forgotten

On this last day we visit two important sites:

The Nanyue King's Tomb is from the period just BCE. The Nanyue kingdom was a tributary state of the Western Han Dynasty and a wealthy one if this tomb is anything to go by. The exhibition is pretty much in situ and contains a huge array of burial items. The corpse was wrapped in a very impressive jade suit that is, unusually, held together with silk cords. Elephant tusks and Frankincense are evidence enough that Guangzhou was already an important trading centre.

Our last stop is the Chen Ancestral Hall, a place where the members of this clan would offer up sacrifices to their predecessors. The Hall only dates back to the Qing Dynasty (the last) when one of the clan achieved third highest rank in the Imperial Examinations, gained a high government position and therefore became fabulously wealthy.

Please note: The day's activities are planned to end mid-afternoon. You can therefore plan to continue your travels this evening. If you want to stay in the city for a bit longer to do your own thing then you can easily book extra nights at the same hotel with us.

Meals:

Breakfast, Lunch

Sightseeing:

Approximate driving time,

1.0 hours

Click on the date you want and you will be taken to our secure shopping cart hosted by Romancart.com. Pay the non-refundable deposit to reserve your place.

For those departures coloured Green you may pay only the deposit. Orange departures are those now within the period where the full balance is required. Grey dates are those where we cannot accept bookings automatically. If you would like to join one of these departures please Contact Us.

In the next stage you will be able to select the number of places, remove items or continue shopping.

You will be offered the opportunity to add Extra Services during the Checkout process.

Follow this link for a fuller explanation of the Booking Process.

For help with your Booking call our 24/7 Sales Support team on +44 (0)844 567 0953

China Holidays 2012

You may choose to pay the balance and single supplement at the same time. These amounts would be refundable subject to our Booking Conditions

A single supplement is compulsory for all travellers not sharing a room. This is due with the final balance, so may be paid later in most cases.

We require a minimum group size of two to operate. If your booking is for two or more then the departure is guaranteed by us (but still subject to circumstances beyond our control).

We will operate departures for one person on payment of an additional Solo Supplement. This may not be your preferred option but could well be better than cancelling once you have time off work and flights all arranged.

Reviews:

It is not necessary to specify a date with this option. We will email you afterwards to ensure that we understand your plans correctly.

All requests are subject to availability. Deposits will be refunded in full if the option is not available.

If you would like to book a date within the next 30 days we recommend that you Contact Us before paying a deposit.

To pay the amount in full now Click below.

(Please note: Full payment is required for bookings within 60 days.)

China Holidays 2013

You may choose to pay the balance and single supplement at the same time. These amounts would be refundable subject to our Booking Conditions

A single supplement is compulsory for all travellers not sharing a room. This is due with the final balance, so may be paid later in most cases.

We require a minimum group size of two to operate. If your booking is for two or more then the departure is guaranteed by us (but still subject to circumstances beyond our control).

We will operate departures for one person on payment of an additional Solo Supplement. This may not be your preferred option but could well be better than cancelling once you have time off work and flights all arranged.

Reviews:

It is not necessary to specify a date with this option. We will email you afterwards to ensure that we understand your plans correctly.

All requests are subject to availability. Deposits will be refunded in full if the option is not available.

If you would like to book a date within the next 30 days we recommend that you Contact Us before paying a deposit.

To pay the amount in full now Click below.

(Please note: Full payment is required for bookings within 60 days.)

Reviews
An in-depth look at one particular place.
Get to the places most tours skip.
There are no relevant reviews for this journey
Extensions
Options for you to extend your journey.
A flexible approach to travel in China.

Please note: There may be sections (usually only flights) where you are unescorted. These are noted in the relevant itineraries.
Beyond Guangzhou: Hong Kong
Extra Services
Additional travel arrangements to fit in with your other plans.
Hotels
£
Per night
Guangzhou Hotel70
Guide/driver services
£
Half day£
Full day
Guangzhou, guide onlyTBATBA
Guangzhou, guide & driverTBATBA
Prices quoted here are for a maximum of two passengers within Beijing City. Other prices available upon request.
Flights
£
Economy
Guangzhou - BeijingTBA
Guangzhou - ChengduTBA
Guangzhou - GuilinTBA
Guangzhou - KunmingTBA
Guangzhou - ShanghaiTBA
Trains
£
Soft sleeper
Guangzhou - Beijing114
Guangzhou - Guilin64
Space here is limited. Only services relevant to this journey are shown. You can see the full range of Extra Services here.
Please Contact Us if you require any other services not listed.

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